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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22969027">Nuzlocke: Perilous Platinum</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/defaultwhiteguy/pseuds/defaultwhiteguy'>defaultwhiteguy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Nuzlocke Challenge [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Diamond &amp; Pearl &amp; Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Video Game World, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Pokemon Death, Pokemon Platinum, ish</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 14:07:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,170</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22969027</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/defaultwhiteguy/pseuds/defaultwhiteguy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>On a lazy afternoon, our protagonist Nick is found looking for a challenge. A strange being called Nuzlocke answers his call and pulls him into the world of Pokemon. The only way out is to complete the Nuzlocke Challenge set before him.</p>
<p>Starting his journey in the land of Sinnoh, Nick must quickly adapt to life in the Pokemon world or risk losing his partners one by one. Facing endless trainers, the gym challenge, a terrorist organization, and living legends, it will take everything Nick and his team have to make it to the championship. But with danger lurking at every turn, will Nicks team make it out alive?</p>
<p>(A novelization of my Pokemon Platinum run. Part 1 of 4. Originally posted to ff.net under torihito. This version will be edited from that one, so if you've read the old one things may be a little different. Tags will be updated as needed. Story updates on a weekly basis. Enjoy!)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Nuzlocke Challenge [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1650688</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Ch 1: The Challenge</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter 1: The Challenge</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It all started on a day that was just like any other. Nothing that happened was out of the ordinary, no warning signs of the things to come. But I'm getting ahead of myself. My name is Nick. I'm your typical gamer kid. Tall, skinny, glasses, the whole nine yards. The sun was just starting to set on my suburban neighborhood and I was upstairs in my room, doing what a typical nerd would be doing at the time. Playing video-games, in this case, Pokemon.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> I had played the Pokemon series most of my life, ever since I got a game-boy and Yellow version way back on my 5th birthday. And sure, you might think it's weird for an 18 year old to be playing Pokemon, but it was still fun. At least, it was something to do.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> At the time, I was doing yet another play-through of Diamond version, since I couldn't afford the new Black and White version. I remember it perfectly...</em>
</p>
<p>The room was quiet except for the music of the game coming from my Nintendo DS. I lay on my bed, occasionally glancing around my messy room, trying my best not to be bored and failing miserably. <em>This sucks. </em>I thought. <em>Wish I had my Xbox, then I could </em><em>at least</em><em> play something </em><em>I haven’t done a million times before</em><em>.</em> I focused my attention back on the screen, noticing that my opponent had sent out a Gyarados against my Pikachu.</p>
<p>"Too easy." I groaned, selecting Thunderbolt and glancing around the room again. My boredom was taking it's toll and I finally decided to go see what the family was doing. I hopped off of my bed and casually tossed the DS over my shoulder. "There's just no <em>challenge</em> in it anymore." I complained to no one in particular. Little did I know the impact those words would have.</p>
<p>"So, you're looking for a challenge huh?" a voice said behind me. It was smooth and human, but had an electronic buzz to it, like someone speaking through a radio. I whirled around, eyes darting across the room, searching for the source of the voice. That's when I noticed my DS screen still on, showing not the game, but a white screen. In the center of the screen was a weird symbol, kind of like a radish. It was a large black circle with three smaller ovals coming off the top of it like the leaves.</p>
<p>"What the hell?" I said, slowly walking towards my bed, eyes never leaving the glowing screen of the DS.</p>
<p>"What are you, deaf or something?" the DS barked. "Are. You. Looking. For. A. Challenge." it said, drawing out each word as if talking to a child. The screen pulsed at each word, leaving no doubt in my mind that the voice was coming for it.</p>
<p>"Well, yeah, but I never thought I'd get one from my DS." I answered, kneeling now so I was face to face (face to screen?) with the gaming device.</p>
<p>"What are you- oh. The game." the voice muttered. "Look kid, I'm not your game. I'm using it as a way to speak to you. And what I'm here to do is offer you the chance to take my challenge. It'll be a tough road and there's no real reward to speak of. Just bragging rights and the chance to do something fun and exciting. That's what you wanted, right?" The DS went quiet, but I felt like it was looking at my, reading my reaction and waiting patiently for my reply.</p>
<p>I thought for a moment. "Well it wouldn't be much of a challenge if there wasn't risk involved. I'm in." I said, grinning.</p>
<p>The screen was silent for the longest time. I almost thought that I had somehow offended the being talking to me and it had left. Then the voice returned. "Well said."</p>
<p>The light of the screen grew brighter, flooding my room and overpowering the light from my ceiling fan. I shielded my eyes from the onslaught, getting to my feet and taking a few steps back. Through the shield of my hands, I saw the bottom screen go black.</p>
<p>"Welcome to the Nuzlocke Challenge." the voice said.</p>
<p>Suddenly, the black in the bottom screen spilled over the edge. It flowed like mist across my bed, spinning around and around making a spiral pattern. Purple mixed into the center and a hole appeared. It was like something out of a cliché horror movie, only very real and happening right in front of me.</p>
<p>Without warning, large hands made of the same misty black stuff shot out of the hole and latched themselves onto my arms. I cried out in alarm and tried to wrench myself free but they wouldn't give. The arms lifted me up into the air and moved me above the portal, which grew wider and wider. It slowly dawned on me what was going to happen. "Oh no." I said. "No! No no no no nonononononono- FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-" I shouted as I was dragged headfirst into the portal. As my feet cleared the rim, it snapped shut. The screen dimmed and the emblem flickered off, revealing my pokemon game. "Pika?" the game quipped.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>I fell through the air, or at least, what <em>felt</em> like air. I wasn't taking anything for granted anymore after being dragged through a smoky portal that sprung out of my DS. <em>Maybe the boredom has gotten to me and I've gone crazy?</em> I thought. Looking down, I noticed what appeared to be the ground coming towards me. <em>Really</em> coming towards me. "Oh shit!" I screamed, holding my arms over my face hoping to muster up some kind of defense. Instead, I felt myself slowing down. Eventually I stopped, floating a few feet above the ground. "Huh" I exhaled, lowering my arms. "That wasn't so-" I said before gravity remembered I was there and brought me crashing to the floor. "Oof. Argh! That sucks." I groaned, rubbing my bruised chest as I got to my feet.</p>
<p>After making sure nothing was damaged other than my dignity, I looked around, trying to figure out where I was now. <em>Well, this certainly isn't my bedroom </em>I thought. <em>Or my neighborhood. Or Kansas.</em> The floor I was standing on was as smooth and hard as concrete. Lines stretched across it in a grid, going as far as my eyes could see in every direction. The whole world seemed flat, which was really disorienting. The "sky" was even worse. Curved lines spread across it and floating among them were groups of ones and zeroes.</p>
<p>"Okay, so where the hell is this?" I wondered aloud, still staring at the numbers flickering across the sky.</p>
<p>"Isn't it obvious? This is the game. Or at least, the programming." the voice from earlier replied, nearly making me jump out of my skin. This time there was no radio buzz and I could tell it was male and right behind me. I turned and looked at the new arrival. He (at least I think it was a he judging from the voice) wore a red cloak with gold trimmings that hid his entire body. The hood was drawn up and cast his face in shadow. The clasp for the cloak had the same weird onion mark on it. The figure spread it's arms.</p>
<p>"Welcome to the Game World." he declared with an exaggerated voice that managed to sound excited and bored at the same time. "This is where the challenge begins. I'm gonna explain the rules to you and then send you on your way. Any questions so far?" he asked, leaning forward, arms crossed and head turned as if offering me his ear.</p>
<p>"Uh, yeah, I've got one." I said, voice rising a bit. "Couldn't you have warned me before dragging me in here? And what the fuck are my parents going to think if they look for me and I'm not in the house anymore? Got an alibi for that?" I was yelling at this point, already frustrated with the way this "challenge" was going.</p>
<p>The robed man sighed, lowering his head. "They always ask the same things, might as well put it in the intro." he muttered. He looked back in my direction. "One, that was the only was to get you here. Two, if you don't like it, I can send you back the way you came. Three, time is no issue. Take as long as you want on the challenge, you'll go back to your world the same time you left it. Like Narnia." he said. Clearly he had already given this speech before and was tired of it by this point. I managed to relax a little.</p>
<p>"Alright. So no matter how long this challenge takes, I'll be back home in time for dinner tonight?" I asked. When he nodded I grinned in return. "Alright then, let's do it. Tell me the rules."</p>
<p>The cloaked man waved a hand in an exaggerated sweep and a blackboard appeared in a puff of smoke. He walked up to it and started working with the chalk, writing and drawing all across it. I couldn't see past his movements to what was being drawn, but I did notice with a bit of amusement that he'd added a graduation cap to his cloak outfit at some point. <em>Guy's a bit of a smart-ass</em> I thought to myself.</p>
<p>He put the chalk down and turned away from the board, revealing what he had written with a flourish. <em>The Nuzlocke Challenge!</em> was written across the top in big letters. "As you can see, this is the Nuzlocke Challenge. I'm Nuzlocke, by the way." he said, gesturing to the board and himself. "There are three major rules, each with their own sub-rules and the goal is simple." He waved at the board, seemingly encouraging me to read it myself.</p>
<p>I shrugged and stepped closer, eyes darting across the green board as I read the thin lettering.</p>
<p>
  <em>Rule 1: You can only catch the first pokemon you find in a new area</em>
</p>
<p><em>1-1: In the event you run into a pokemon you </em> <em>have already captured (either in your party or the box)</em> <em>, a mulligan is allowed. If you </em> <em>encounter a second repeat, however</em> <em>, you forfeit your pokemon for this area.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>1-2: The exception to this rule is for shiny pokemon. The rarity of these are such that you probably won't find one anyway.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Rule 2: You cannot decline any battle that is offered to you. You must fight no matter what condition your team is in and how prepared you are.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Rule 3: THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE! Your pokemon DO NOT FAINT! If their HP reaches zero, they DIE! That's it. Kaput. DEAD. Seriously, do not forget this.</em>
</p>
<p><em>The first goal of the Nuzlocke Challenge is to collect all 8 badges of the region and challenge the Elite Four </em> <em>or each region</em> <em>. </em> <em>That’s Kanto, Johto, Hoen, and Sinnoh.</em> <em> This does NOT mean that you have to defeat the Elite Four and Champion, so if you loose there it counts </em> <em>and you have completed the region</em> <em>.</em></p>
<p>I frowned as I finished reading the rules. "Okay, so how are these rules enforced? What, do you pop up and shoot a fainted pokemon in the head or...? And what do you mean 'first goal'? What's the second?" I demanded, shooting a questioning look at Nuzlocke.</p>
<p>In response, he flipped the blackboard around and revealed a whole new block of text on the back. <em>I don't remember him writing that</em> I thought. <em>Still, he does appear to be omnipotent. Best not to question it. </em>I read the new text on the blackboard.</p>
<p>
  <em>The second goal of the Nuzlocke Challenge is to gather five artifacts and bring them to Mt Silver in Johto. You will need the Silph Scope from Kanto, The Rainbow Wing from Johto, the Red Orb and Blue Orb from Hoen, and the Griseous Orb from Sinnoh. </em>
</p>
<p>There were drawings of each of the items with arrows pointing from their names.</p>
<p>
  <em>Once you arrive at the summit of Mt Silver, use the Silph Scope to find the Alter. Place the objects in their correct locations and the portal home will open!</em>
</p>
<p>I nodded once I finished reading. "Still didn't answer the first question. Why do my pokemon die? And for that matter, how can you tell if I'm catching one pokemon or not?"</p>
<p>"I'll answer that question with a question." Nuzlocke replied. "Which is your dominant hand?"</p>
<p>The question threw me off, seemingly unrelated to what I had asked. "Uh, my right?" I asnwered. "What's that got to do with-" Nuzlocke shot forward and grabbed my right hand, interrupting me. I felt a slight burning sensation on it before he let it go. Looking down, I saw that there was now a black mark on the back of it matching the symbol on his cloak and the DS screen. "What the hell is this?" I asked, looking it over.</p>
<p>"<em>That</em> is the Mark of Nuzlocke" he said with an air of satisfaction. "<em>That's</em> how I'll be monitoring you. It's a direct link between me in this world, and you in the pokemon world. Any pokemon you capture will have it put on them as well" I couldn't see it, but I was sure there from his tone was a smirk on his face.</p>
<p>I glanced over my hand one more time before letting it fall. "I'd argue that that made <em>no </em>scientific sense, but I was dragged through a portal to another dimension not to long ago so my views on what's possible have changed a bit" I snarked.</p>
<p>"Yeah, about that, try not to tell anyone that you're a Nuzlocker. Or that you're from another dimension. People know about the first but not about the second so it's probably for the best" Nuzlocke said, suddenly very serious.</p>
<p>I stared at him for a long moment before nodding. "Okay, yeah, I can get why that would be important" I said. <em>Wonder why mentioning the challenge is bad if they already know about it </em>I thought to myself. "Anything else before I start this thing?"</p>
<p>The cloaked figure shook his head. "Nope. Have a nice trip." He gestured and I felt a familiar tight grip on my upper arms. Glancing around, I spotted the same shadowy arms grabbing me again.</p>
<p>"Oh man, not again!" I cried as I was dragged backwards into the portal, off to start my adventure.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Ch 2: Misadventures</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nick begins his journey, meeting a few familiar faces. But things aren't quite going the way he thought.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Quick note here, I believe most Pokemon protags are considered to be in their early teens by the fandom at large, but here specifically they're going to be 16. Rowan's still old as fuck though.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>I don't remember anything going through the portal a second time. I guess it was a different kind of portal since no one mentioned any reports of teenagers falling from the sky. I remember waking up though. I mean, who could forget a wake up like</em> <em>that</em><em>.</em></p>
<p>
  <em> --- </em>
</p>
<p>My head was swimming, slowly coming back to consciousness. There was a buzzing sound, one that started out soft and quickly escalated to annoying. No matter how hard I tried to fight it, the noise got louder and louder. And slowly, to my horror, I started to pick out words. <em>Oh my god, that's somebodies </em><strong><em>voice</em> </strong>I thought.</p>
<p>"-never thought in a million years that I'd find somebody lying in the middle of the route like this, were you attacked by a pokemon? No, that can't be right, pokemon only live in the tall grass, we're still <em>way</em> to close to town for that to happen, which means I still don't know how you got here and – hey are you waking up?" the voice rambled, going a million miles a minute. I groaned, knowing that now that they’ve noticed I'm awake I'm gonna have to talk to them.</p>
<p>I opened my eyes and immediately closed them. <em>SUN! Sun is bad!</em> I thought, eyes tearing up from looking directly into the golden globe in the sky. <em>Well, at least I know it's daytime.</em> Pushing myself up, I blinked quickly until my eyes refocused, drawing my attention to the dirt path I was sitting in. Looking ahead, the path led to a forest farther down the hill I was on.</p>
<p>"You’re awake!" I suddenly remembered that I wasn't alone and looked to see who was chatting with an unconscious person instead of getting help. What I saw made my jaw drop.</p>
<p>"B-Barry!?" I sputtered, staring straight into the amber eyes of the rival from Pokemon Diamond. <em>Wow, I'm actually in the game world</em> I thought. <em>Let's see, blonde hair spiked into weird horns, check. Orange and white striped shirt, check. Green tie, check. Obnoxious personality, check and check. </em><em>Definitely Barry.</em></p>
<p>The blonde seemed as surprised as I was to my reaction. "You know who I am?" he said slowly. "That's amazing! I mean, I know I'm going to be the greatest trainer of all time, but to have people outside of Twinleaf that know me, wow!" he exclaimed, gushing about his new "fame". I breathed a sigh of relief. <em>Good thing he's not to bright, otherwise I'd already be in deep.</em></p>
<p>I decided to roll with the way things were going. "Uh, yeah! I'm from Sandgem Town and I came over because someone mentioned that you were the best trainer in town" I lied. "Guess I didn't make it through the route in one piece" I mumbled, playing up the sheepish tone.</p>
<p>He took to it like a fish on a line. "That's awesome! I mean, not the you getting attacked part, the you hearing about me part! Well, you already know my name. What's yours?" he asked, getting to his feet and offering his hand. I remembered I was sitting in the dirt and gladly took it, standing up myself. I was surprised to find that he was only a little shorter than me. Being 6 feet myself, I had thought he would be a lot shorter than he was.</p>
<p>"I'm Nick." I replied, shaking his hand quickly before letting it fall. I looked around and saw a bunch of buildings behind Barry on the horizon. <em>That m</em><em>ust be Twinleaf Town</em>. "Sooooo, what are you doing out here Barry? I didn't expect to see you 'til I was in town" I asked. I was genuinely curious. The game was already going off the rails with the story. <em>I mean, it's not like Barry's </em><em>programmed</em><em> to say these things </em><em>though </em><em>I thought. </em><em>There has to be some kind of improvisation there.</em></p>
<p>"Oh right!" Barry practically shouted, all his energy back again in an instant. "I saw this awesome TV show about a red Gyarados in Johto's Lake of Rage and I thought to myself 'I wonder if Lake Verity has something cool like that in it?' and I ran out of the house to go see and I found you on the road here!" It was difficult to keep track of what he was saying he was speaking so fast, but I had played through the games enough times to get the idea of it.</p>
<p>"That's a great idea!" I said, once again feigning ignorance. "I heard a rumor that there's a legendary pokemon there!" Of course, I already knew about Mesprit, but I didn't want to ruin the fun for him. "Let's check it out!" <em>Anything to get this tutorial over with, I already know how to play the games</em> I thought.</p>
<p>We set out down the path towards the forest. It probably didn't take to long for us to get there, but Barry never stopped talking the entire way and the minutes seemed to drag on and on. Finally, we arrived at a T in the road. A sign pointed both ways, telling us that the lake was left, and Sandgem Town was right.</p>
<p>"Oh!" Barry exclaimed suddenly. I paused, already leading the way left. "I just realized! We can't capture the legendary pokemon without our own pokemon!" The look on his face showed that he genuinely just thought of this.</p>
<p>I sighed. "Well, how are we gonna get pokemon? It's not like they're lying around." I asked, fed up with the whole thing. <em>The Professor is at the lake, idiot, he’ll give us the pokemon there</em>.</p>
<p>"Easy!" Barry replied, pointing the opposite way towards Sandgem Town. "We'll go get some from Prof. Rowan. He just came back from a trip and I'm sure he'll give us some starter pokemon!" He was already halfway down the path before I grabbed him by the back of his collar.</p>
<p>"Hold on man, we can't go that way" I said. Barry gave me a questioning look. I sighed again (which was quickly becoming a common occurrence as far as Barry was concerned) and pointed to the tall grass in front of us. "Wild pokemon. Bad for people without pokemon." I explained slowly, making sure he understood.</p>
<p>Barry nodded and I let go, his brow furrowing in deep thought. After a few moments, he snapped his fingers. "I've got it!" he announced. "If we run <em>really</em> fast, the wild pokemon can't get us!" My jaw practically dropped again. <em>He can't be serious?</em> I thought, but the thought wasn't even finished before Barry had grabbed me by the arm and was heading full sprint for the tall grass. I tried to hold him back, or at the least escape his grasp before he got us both hurt.</p>
<p>"STOP!" a deep voice thundered through the forest. Barry stopped immediately, inches from the grass. My reflexes were a little slower and I crashed into him, both of us tumbling to the ground. As we untangled ourselves, a shadow passed over us. I looked up to see an older gentleman, with short, spiky gray hair and a thick mustache. He was wearing a suit with a navy vest, black slacks and a long brown coat. I recognized him on sight. <em>Prof. Rowan!</em></p>
<p>"Just what do you two think you're doing?" Rowan demanded. His voice was calm and gruff, but the air of authority was evident. Even though I knew he wasn't real, I still felt ashamed and looked down at my shoes.</p>
<p>"Sorry sir. We just wanted our pokemon." Barry replied, his voice unusually quiet and timid for him. I glanced over and saw that he was also looking down at his shoes.</p>
<p>We stood in silence for a while, the only real noise being Rowan grunting and murmuring to himself. I caught occasional snipits of it but nothing really evident. Something about "...responsibility..." and "...boys their age..." Finally, he nodded. "Very well then. I shall give you your pokemon now."</p>
<p>Our heads snapped up, the both of us with excited looks in our eyes. I couldn't help it. I always got this feeling when getting a pokemon for the first time. And I was actually <em>in</em> the world this time!</p>
<p>Rowan turned around, looking over his shoulder. "Dawn, be a dear and-" he stopped mid-sentence. I looked around him and saw that there was no one there. "Oh dear, where could she have gone?" Rowan asked no one in particular.</p>
<p>"Prof. Rowan!" a call came. We looked farther down the path and saw a pink blob moving towards us. As she got closer, the blob morphed into a teenage girl, wearing a pink coat, pink rain boots, and a matching white scarf and beanie. <em>Ah, there’s </em><em>Dawn</em>. My eyes locked onto the briefcase she was carrying.</p>
<p>"You forgot your briefcase at the lake Professor!" Dawn said as she caught up, holding the object in question up briefly, "What would you have done if I hadn't noticed?" Dawn asked, trying to look sternly at the older man.</p>
<p>Rowan merely ruffled his mustache a bit. "I thank you Dawn for retrieving it. Now, these young boys wish to receive their pokemon. Kindly open the case for them." Rowan gestured to the two of us. I guess Dawn hadn't noticed us standing there because she jumped a little when she looked over.</p>
<p>"Oh!" she squeaked. "I'm sorry! Let me introduce myself. My name's Dawn Platinum" she said, bowing slightly. "And you are...?" She looked from me to Barry and back again.</p>
<p>"I'm Nick" I answered simply. "This is...Barry" I said, trying not to laugh at the expression on Barry's face when I glanced at him. <em>He's totally staring at her!</em> I thought. He looked like he had just fallen in love, just blatantly staring at Dawn with his mouth hanging open. I decided to throw him a bone. "Uh, hello? Earth to Barry?" I smirked, lightly punching him on the shoulder.</p>
<p>That seemed to snap him out of it. "Wha-who-wha?" he cried, looking around wildly. Dawn giggled as I just smiled, shaking my head.</p>
<p>"You're a real charmer man" I joked, patting him on the back.</p>
<p>Dawn giggled again, before grabbing the suitcase more securely. "So, you two wanted pokemon, right?" she asked, opening the metal case and holding it in front of us. "We only have three here, one of each. If you'd like to have the same one, we can escort you back to the lab in Sandgem."</p>
<p>I glanced over at Barry who was staring at the pokeballs with the same expression he had just given Dawn. "Uh, I think we're okay" I muttered, looking at the balls myself. <em>I know exactly who I want for this so-called challenge </em>I thought, reaching out and grabbing the ball on the left. Barry shook his head again, snapping out of his trance and snatched up the middle ball.</p>
<p>"Congratulations on your choice." Rowan said. "Why don't you let the little critters out, get to know them." he suggested, taking a few steps back. Dawn hastily closed the briefcase and joined him, giving Barry and I plenty of room.</p>
<p>"Alright, go Chimchar!" Barry roared, throwing the ball high in the sky. I almost lost sight of it when it popped open, a beam of red light spilling down to the ground. The light condensed and formed the rough shape of a monkey before disappearing, leaving behind the Chimchar. He was roughly a foot tall, orange fur all over except for his chest, face and limbs. A ball of fire flickered on his backside instead of a tail, and the fur on top of his head moved around in the rough shape of a flame as well, the beginnings of an Infernapes’ flaming hair.</p>
<p>"Cooooool!" Barry exclaimed, catching the falling pokeball effortlessly and crouching down to ogle his new companion. The Chimchar yawned and stretched, looking around. He caught a glimpse of Barry over his shoulder and jumped away, clearly frightened by the blonde being so close. He watched Barry for a moment, a look of curiosity on his face. He looked over at Rowan who gave him a nod. That seemed to mean something to Chimchar because suddenly he ran over to Barry, climbing up to sit on the teens shoulder and pulling lightly at his hair.</p>
<p>"Hahaha! Ow!" Barry winced as Chimchar yanked a little to hard. "I like him!" Barry declared, grabbing the little monkey and hugging him tight. Thankfully the fire flickering on his back didn’t seem to actually burn him any. Barry looked up at me. "Why don't you let yours out too Nick?" he asked, the monkey moving back to his shoulder and nodding excitedly next to him.</p>
<p>I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "Alright, I'm interested to meet him too" I said. My heart started pounding. <em>I get to see a pokemon for real! Like, up close! This is so freaking cool!</em> I tossed my ball lightly into the air, in stark contrast to Barry's epic throw. "Come on out Turtwig!" I called.</p>
<p>A flash of red later and a large turtle was standing on the path between us all. His skin was light green and he had a brown shell. A small brown plant was growing out of his head, which had two shining green leaves. His jaw and feet had thicker skin, which was yellow just like his eyes. Unlike Chimchar, Turtwig had an immediate reaction to being out of his ball. He looked around in all directions, as if expecting some kind of predator to swoop down on him. Catching sight of Rowan. The Turtwig ran towards him. It stopped in front of him and chirped, beaming up at the old man. Rowan knelt down and scratched the grass-types head, whispering something to it. Turtwig tilted his head to the side, apparently confused. Rowan picked him up and spun him around, pointing towards me. Turtwig looked at me, squeaked, and ran behind Rowan.</p>
<p>Barry burst into laughter. "Aw, the little guy's scared" Dawn cooed, kneeling down next to Rowan, who had an amused look on his face. "This Turtwig is a little shy" she said to me before moving her hand out to try and coax him forward. "Come on little one, Nick won't hurt you."</p>
<p>I decided to try and adopt her tactics. <em>Just like meeting a skittish dog, right?</em> Kneeling down a few steps away from them, I held out my own hand. "Hey little guy" I murmured. "C'mere. I'm not gonna bite. I just want to be your friend."</p>
<p>Something about the way I talked seemed to convince Turtwig I wasn't a threat. He slowly walked around Rowan's legs and came towards me. I kept my hand out and stayed still. The turtle took a few more steps, and sniffed my hand. Apparently finding it acceptable, he rubbed against it. <em>More like a cat than a dog</em> I snickered to myself.</p>
<p>"Well done boy" Rowan said, getting to his feet. "That Turtwig will be just fine in your care."</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>It was quiet for a while after that as our new pokemon got used to us, until Barry broke the silence.</p>
<p>"Hey Nick, how about a battle?"</p>
<p>I looked up, currently lying on my back and playing with Turtwig. Barry was standing a short ways away from me, Chimchar in front. The fire-type looked ready to go, the fire on his tail billowing.</p>
<p>I looked back at Turtwig, the upside down view giving the turtle a curious appearance. "What do you think, you up for this buddy?" I asked. I knew I couldn't refuse the challenge, but I wanted to make sure Turtwig was okay.</p>
<p>In response, the grass-type ran around me, facing the monkey and nodding his head, a fierce look in his eyes. I grinned and climbed to my feet, adopting a wide stance like Barry.</p>
<p>"What happened to that scaredy-cat from before? Never-mind, I like this version of Turtwig better" Barry declared, a devilish grin on his face. "Let's get it started!"</p>
<p>The battle wasn't as fierce as I thought it would be. Then again, I shouldn't have expected much from two brand new starter pokemon that only knew two moves each. Barry ordered Chimchar to use Leer, while I told Turtwig to use Tackle. Chimchar countered the blow with a Scratch attack. It was back and forth for a while, Barry switching between offense and defense while I urged Turtwig to keep the offense up. I knew the turtles natural defense would keep him in the game longer than Chimchar, despite the repeated Leers. In the end, I was right, and Turtwig stood before an unconscious Chimchar, head raised in triumph.</p>
<p>"Excellent job, the both of you" Rowan announced. I grinned and returned Turtwig to his pokeball. Barry did the same, whispering encouragement to his fallen friend. "Now, it's getting a bit late so you two should head on home." The professor started down the path towards Sandgem, not even stopping at the tall grass. "Oh, and please come by my Lab tomorrow. I'll finish your trainer registration there" he added. Dawn quickly followed him, saying goodbye as she left.</p>
<p>Once they were gone, Barry grinned at me. "You may have won the first round, but I'm still gonna be the greatest trainer in Sinnoh! Don't forget that Nick! I'll beat you next time!" he declared. The tone of his voice was good-natured, like someone on the best sports team after loosing a close game.</p>
<p>I couldn’t resist smiling back. "I'll remember that" I said, turning towards Twinleaf. "Mind if I crash at your place? Turtwig's to tired to get me back home." In reality, I didn't have a place to sleep, so I figured I'd ask.</p>
<p>"Sure no problem!" Barry replied cheerfully and we set off back to Twinleaf. As we walked, I wondered about the situation I found myself. <em>In the game I played, we didn't get the starter pokemon until we reached Lake Verity. But here, we got them on Route 201. On top of that, Barry wanted a battle right off the bat. </em><em>I had wondered about how this was going to play out since I was apparently </em><em>inside </em><em>the game. But the way everything’s gone off script already, plus how human the NPCs are was making me question if this was all actually a game. </em><em>I</em><em> wonder what </em>else<em> is different.</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Ch 3: A New Perspective</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>I remember going to sleep on that first night. I remember how calm I was. I knew I was in a different world, and unfamiliar place, but the warmth of the blanket over me and the atmosphere the house gave off r</em>
  <em>eminded me enough of home to remove</em>
  <em> any uncertainties. I slept like a baby, probably the last good sleep I would get. Unfortunately for me, my wake up call was far from normal.</em>
</p><p><strong>"Wakey wakey eggs and bakey!"</strong> a voice echoed. It was so loud, I practically flew off of the couch I was lying on, arms flailing to ward off any potential attackers. I blinked repeatedly, fighting off the feeling of sleepiness and noticed that the room around me was empty. It was then I realized the voice had been in my head. <em>What the hell was that? </em>I wondered.</p><p><strong>"That was me."</strong> the voice explained. Now that I was a little more awake, I recognized the sarcastic tone. <em>Nuzlocke</em>. <strong>"Get the kid an award, he's got it! Look, I don't mean to push, but I have some last minute tips for you. One, cover that mark on your hand. </strong><strong>It’s a dead giveaway.</strong><strong> Two, I slipped a starter fund into your new bag outside, use it to pick up some essentials. Three, I gave you a grace period for yesterday, but things are gonna start now. Four, the mark let's your pokemon talk to you. So that's a thing. Bye."</strong></p><p>For a few minutes, I groggily sat on the couch, everything he had told me not quite registering yet. When it did finally hit me, I almost jumped off of the couch a second time. <em>My pokemon...can </em>talk <em>to me?</em> I was tempted to grab my pokeball and let Turtwig out to test it, but I decided not to risk waking Barry. I carefully grabbed my things and crept out the front door. True to Nuzlockes word, there was a black and gray messenger back waiting on the front step. Inside was a black wallet with a white pokeball stitched into it. It was full of bills, money I'd need for my trip, though none I actually recognized. <em>Guess that makes sense, this is a different world. </em><em>First stop, new clothes</em> I thought. I had noticed that my clothes were dirty as hell and I might as well get a new set.</p><p>After a while of walking around town I found a rather large general goods store. I grabbed some basic necessities for traveling, a canteen, a sleeping bag, fire starter kit, etc. I also grabbed a new outfit which I wore out of the store. My short brown hair was covered by a slate bucket cap. I wore a light purple t-shirt with a tan circle and crossed lines on it resembling the markings on a Koffing. Over that was a lightweight black windbreaker. Finally, I bought a pair of black, fingerless gloves that covered my mark. Some new denim jeans and black running shoes completed the new look. Putting my sunglasses on over my eyes, I set off on my new adventure.</p><p>About an hour later I had left the city far behind me and was well on my way up Route 201. <em>This looks like as good a place as any</em> I thought, my curiosity reaching its breaking point. I pulled out my new belt from the bag, on which were clips for six pokeballs. I strapped it on and reached back into my bag to retrieve my one and only ball before lightly tossing it to release my starter.</p><p>Turtwig had gotten a lot more confident after his win against Chimchar, and he certainly appeared to be happy with me. He stretched a bit after being in the ball for so long and trotted around the dirt path, looking around.</p><p>"How're ya doing today buddy?" I asked. I looked him over and saw what looked like a black smudge on his shell. I looked closer, and saw that it was the same symbol as the one on my hand. The symbol of Nuzlocke. "Huh. Guess we really are in this together."</p><p>"In what together?" Turtwig asked. The look on my face must have been priceless, because Turtwig turned around and looked at me with a curious expression. "What's wrong?" he asked.</p><p>"I...I can understand you." I stammered. "I mean, I can hear you like you're speaking English!"</p><p>The pokemon cocked his head to the side. "Really? That's weird. Mister Rowan couldn't understand me that well. Though I don't think he could actually talk with me." Turtwig said, clearly to young to understand the implications of this.</p><p>I nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty odd." I muttered. "Oh! Before I move on, I want to ask you something. I've always been a believer in nicknaming my pokemon. Do you have a name already? Because if we can talk like this, I don't want to confuse you."</p><p>The turtle pokemon looked deep in thought for a few moments. "No, I don't think I have a name." he finally answered. "I only hatched recently, and Mister Rowan never named us because we were starter pokemon." He looked back up, a cheerful look on his face. "Do you have a name for me?" he asked, before suddenly blushing and looking away.</p><p><em>Wow, he's really shy</em> I thought bemusedly. "Uh, yeah. There was a TV show I used to watch as a kid that starred a turtle. I'll call you Franklin." I patted him on the head, sealing the deal.</p><p>"That's a nice name." Franklin murmured softly as I got to my feet. "Master, what's TV?" he asked as we started walking down the path.</p><p>"Okay, right off the bat, don't call me master." I began. "Paired with your shy attitude, that's gonna get weird <em>really</em> quick. Call me Nick. Second, TV is hard to explain. I'll point one out to you if we ever see one." We walked in silence for a while, enjoying the day. After a while, I decided to explain things further. "Look, I'm not exactly on your typical journey. I want you to know what you're in for before we start." I pulled back the glove on my right hand, showing him the mark. "See this?" I asked.</p><p>Franklin nodded. "This is called the Mark of Nuzlocke." I said, putting my glove back on. "You've got one on the back of your shell too." I chuckled a bit as the grass-type started walking in a circle, neck craning to get a glimpse of the mark on his shell. "Stop that, you're not gonna see it. Trust me though, it's there." He stopped, an embarrassed blush on his face, and we continued walking. "So I'll give you the short version. I'm taking what's called the Nuzlocke challenge. The goal is to challenge the Elite Four and collect certain items. The catch is that I can only catch the first pokemon I see in an area, which limits how good of a team we can get."</p><p>I stopped walking and knelt down next to Franklin. He stopped too, probably noticing how serious the air around me was. "The second rule is that my pokemon don't faint in battle. They...they die."</p><p>Franklin's eyes went wide and he took a few steps back. "What...what do you mean? Pokemon don't die in battles! I beat Chimchar yesterday and he's still alive!"</p><p>I shook my head. "That's the thing Franklin. Barry's not taking the challenge. If Chimchar had won instead of you, you wouldn't have fainted. It would be all over."</p><p>The turtle shivered and took another step back. "I'm not sure I want to be in this challenge Nick." he whispered, tears beginning to well in his eyes. My heart practically broke seeing that. <em>Man, I don't want this poor guy to be so scared. </em>I moved forward and wrapped my arms around the little turtle, pulling him into a tight hug.</p><p>"Don't worry little guy. I've trained pokemon before. I know exactly what I'm doing. I won't let you die." I said, hugging him tighter. He wiggled a bit in discomfort and I let him go, placing him back on the ground. He sniffled a bit before nodding his head.</p><p>"Okay. I'll do my best too then! I won't let anyone else on our team die either!" he said, suddenly full of bravado and energy. He turned back towards the forest in the distance, nodding his head again, as if comforting himself. "Let's go!" he roared, suddenly running down the dirt path. I watched him go for a second, stunned at his abrupt change in behavior before tearing after him.</p><p>We ran down the path for a while before slowing down to our previous walking pace. Now that everything had been cleared up between us, we started talking about random things, getting to know each other. It turns out that starter pokemon don't have much to talk about since they're cooped up in the lab until a trainer comes to pick them up or they grow old enough to be sent to the breeding farms. Franklin did have some interests, one of which was seeing the world outside of Sandgem.</p><p>"I've only ever seen the pokemon lab and your town back there." Franklin explained. "I want to see all kinds of places. Mister Rowan talked to us all about snow and deserts and thick forests! I want to see those things!" He was so excited about it that I couldn't help but feel supportive.</p><p>"Sure, we can see all those things." I said. "I'm interested in seeing some of the places in Sinnoh as well, I haven't actually been here before. Though I do know there aren’t any deserts."</p><p>We reached the end of the road with the now familiar sign that pointed to Sandgem and the lake. The scuff marks in the path from yesterday's battle were already blown away by the wind. I turned toward Sandgem town and the patch of tall grass. "Okay Franklin, ready to do some battling?" I asked. The turtle nodded, his eyes full of determination. I stepped towards the grass when a familiar voice reached my ears.</p><p>"Wwwwaaaaaaiiiiiit Niiiiiiiiick!" Barry called, running full tilt towards the two of us. He was really hauling ass, reaching us in a fraction of the time it took for us to cover the distance. He skid to a stop and promptly doubled over, breathing heavily from his marathon. "You -<em>pant</em>- left -<em>pant</em>- without -<em>wheeze</em>- saying bye." he gasped. Taking a few more breaths, he straightened up with a grin. "I wanted to say good luck in your gym challenge." He held out a hand. I shook it right away, my attitude towards him greatly improving. <em>This Barry is leaps and bounds better than the game version</em> I thought.</p><p>"Oh! One more thing!" Barry said suddenly, dragging me into a headlock. "Now that we have pokemon of our own, let's go to the lake and capture that legendary pokemon like we planned!" Before I could protest he was off, literally dragging me with him. <em>Maybe I spoke to soon</em> I grumbled to myself as Franklin hurried to keep up with Barry's urgent pace.</p><p>A (thankfully) short trip later, we arrived at Lake Verity. Looking out across it, the scenery was beautiful. I noticed that the island cave Mesprit hid in was nowhere to be found. I continued to look around the lake, taking in the view, when Barry suddenly poked me in the shoulder. I glared at him and he simply pointed forward. "Who's that?"</p><p>A man was standing at the edge of the water, small waves lapping at his boots. He was taller than I was, with broad shoulders and a solid build. His hair was a neutral blue, almost the same color as the lake, and spiked in the back. As soon as I saw the hair I knew who it was. <em>Cyrus!</em> <em>The leader of Team Galactic! What's he doing here?</em> I thought. My blood froze when I remembered the second rule. <em>I can't refuse a battle. What if he challenges me? Franklin isn't nearly strong enough to take him on alone!</em></p><p>As panic flooded me, I almost didn't hear as Cyrus suddenly spoke. "I guess you won't appear to me. Is it because I am the wrong Champion? Are you awaiting the Champion of Emotion?" He paused, shaking his head. "No matter. You will be mine soon enough Mesprit." He turned, walking up a small path right towards us. He paused a few steps away, apparently just noticing us. <em>Oh shit, here it comes!</em> I thought frantically, inching slightly in front of Franklin protectively.</p><p>"Move aside please." Cyrus said coldly. I nodded and quickly scooped up Franklin, moving out of the way. Barry did the same on the other side and the blue-haired criminal mastermind stalked past, a quiet "thank you" muttered to us as he left the lakefront.</p><p>Seconds ticked by before I let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding. Barry did the same. "Wow." the blonde said. "That guy was really weird. What was all that about Champions? I'm the only Champion around here!" he said indignantly. Despite the dark mood, I chuckled at his prideful speech. <em>It is weird though</em> I thought. <em>I don't remember anything about a </em><em>C</em><em>hampion in the game. </em><em>Well, besides the League Champion, but that’s Cynthia.</em><em> What was he talking about?</em></p><p>Barry moved down to where Cyrus was and looked out around the lake. "Now if I was a legendary pokemon, where would I be?" he asked himself. <em>Probably inside an invisible cave in the center of the lake</em> I thought sarcastically, but stopped myself from telling him outright. I did, however, feel the need to point out a glaringly obvious fact.</p><p>"Uh, Barry? Do you have any spare pokeballs to catch this legendary with? Or do you plan on tying it up and carting it around in a wagon?" I snarked.</p><p>Barry stopped and stared at the ground for a second. I swear I could see the gears turning in his head at the revelations I had unleashed. "Oh my god you're right" he finally admitted. "Let's go get some from Prof. Rowan then!" he announced and just like that, he was gone, up the lakefront path and out of sight. I sighed and glanced down at Franklin, still tucked under my arm. "He may be the most scatterbrained person I've ever met." I said.</p><p>"Funny though." Franklin added as I put him back down and we started off towards Sandgem.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Ch 4: New Friends</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>While Barry tore through Route 201 to get to Sandgem and the lab, I casually walked with Franklin, continuing our conversation from earlier. Before long, we were back at the tall grass. Franklin looked apprehensive about going through, but after a reassuring pat on the head from me, he looked ready to go.</p>
<p>Honestly, it wasn't that bad. The random Starly and Bidoof were no match for Franklins tackles. By the time we had arrived in Sandgem, he had grown a few levels and learned Withdraw. <em>Well, it's not the best move to know, but we're getting there </em>I thought.</p>
<p>Right at the entrance of town there was a man with a white apron looking around nervously. He stood in front of a sign that read FREE SAMPLES. I decided that I should check this out because, hey, it's free. The man's face lit up as we approached, especially when he saw Franklin.</p>
<p>"Young trainer!" he called excitedly, stepping forward with his arms held wide. "Please accept this free Potion as a reminder to stop by the local PokeMart to pick up any training supplies you need." he handed me a small bottle with a spray nozzle attached. The liquid inside was teal and it looked more like windex than medicine.</p>
<p>I nodded and took the offered potion. "Thanks, I'll be sure to stop by" I promised. The man smiled and nodded as we walked away, looking out for the lab. The town was certainly larger than Twinleaf, but not as big as the cities I knew we'd find later in our journey. As we walked around, seeing the sights, I spotted a familiar pink blob with a white cap.</p>
<p>"Hey Dawn!" I called. The lab assistant looked up from her window shopping and waved when she saw us. She looked down and started chatting and that's when I noticed the pokemon next to her. It was a small bird with a large head and blue feathers all over except it's belly which was white. It had white markings around it's eyes, which looked at us distrustfully. I recognized it instantly as a Piplup, the third and final starter pokemon in the Sinnoh region.</p>
<p>"Hi Nick, hi Turtwig!" Dawn greeted us as she approached. The Piplup was lagging behind a bit, dragging it's feet on purpose. I smiled, amused at the sight.</p>
<p>"Actually, it's Franklin for him now." I corrected. I looked at the turtle in question and nudged him with my foot, encouraging him to go talk with Piplup. "I always nickname my pokemon, but I was to excited yesterday to remember."</p>
<p>Dawn frowned. "Always?" she asked. "You've trained pokemon before?" A curious look appeared on her face.</p>
<p>I almost started panicking. "uh, yeah. Back home, I have a bunch of pokemon on the ranch. At least, they're the families pokemon." <em>Nice save</em> I thought, proud of my quick thinking.</p>
<p>Dawn nodded. "Oh, that's a common thing." she said and if I breathed a little easier she didn’t notice. "I’ve even give my own nicknames to the pokemon at the lab sometimes."</p>
<p>I hummed in acknowledgment, turning my attention back to the two pokemon at our feet. Franklin was continuing to be his usual shy self despite my encouragement. Piplup, meanwhile, seemed adamant to not interact with us in any way. She had her arms crossed and was staring across the street intensely. Franklin seemed to want to ask what she was doing, but was to shy to actually talk to her given the little penguins intimidating presence. I decided to intervene before the poor turtle self-destructed due to nerves.</p>
<p>"So who's this little one?" I asked, kneeling down and taking a closer look at Piplup. Forced to no longer ignore me, the bird pokemon turned her head and gave me a glare that would have made me back off if it wasn't coming from a foot tall blue bird. It was almost like meeting a skittish cat.</p>
<p>"That's Lizbeth." Dawn said, sighing as she watched her pokemon's behavior. "She's not very social and bonded to me early so I decided to choose her as my starter. I'm <em>trying</em> to get her to interact with people more, but she's stubborn."</p>
<p>Lizbeth looked up at Dawn, chirping softly. <em>Huh, I didn't understand that </em>I thought. <em>Guess I can only talk with my pokemon.</em> Dawn smiled and patted Lizbeth on the head, ruffling her feathers. "Go on, introduce yourself to Franklin." she said, seemingly able to understand Lizbeth to some degree.</p>
<p>Franklin seemed to be braver now that we were watching his back and he stepped forward. "Hi! I'm Franklin! Let's be friends." he said, extending a leg in an attempt of a handshake. Being a turtle, it was a little awkward looking, but the point got across. Lizbeth stared at the offered leg for a solid minute and Franklin looked like he was about to let it fall when she reached out with a flipper and shook it.</p>
<p>"Yay!" Dawn cried, delighted that her pokemon was making friends. "I'm so proud of you Lizbeth." The Piplup simply nodded.</p>
<p>"It's fun making new friends right Franklin?" I asked. The turtle beamed up at me and I felt my heart melt a little.</p>
<p>"Oh hey, Dawn, I have a question" I said suddenly, looking back to the assistant. "Do you know where the lab is? I need to finish my trainer registration."</p>
<p>Dawn was happy to escort me to the lab. The four of us walked the streets of Sandgem, the two pokemon talking the whole way while Dawn pointed out the best places to visit as we passed them. It was really weird listening to the pokemon talk. I could understand Franklin completely, but not a single peep from Piplup was in anything resembling English. It was like hearing someone talk on the phone, one side of the conversation lost.</p>
<p>Eventually, we arrived at the edge of town. A short walk later, past a few ranches, we were at the Pokemon Lab. There was a large central building, two stories tall with large windows in the front and a large range in the back for the pokemon to run around in. I saw all kinds of species native to Sinnoh, and a few that weren't like Nidoran and Wurmple.</p>
<p>Reaching the front door, I was reaching for the doorknob when it burst open, slamming into me and knocking me clear off of the porch. The person who had opened the door had apparently slammed into the other side, not expecting it to stop so suddenly. I groaned, rubbing my bruised face and chest when I saw the identity of my attacker. "Dammit Barry." I groaned, getting to my feet.</p>
<p>The blonde teen was rubbing his own face, trying to ease the pain of running into a solid oak door. Hearing his name, he looked up and saw the two of us. "Oh, hey Nick, Dawn! Here for registration? I'm all done with that." he declared proudly. "I'm on my way to being the best trainer in Sinnoh, and nobody can stop me! C'mon George, we need to get to Jublife ASAP!" And with that, he sped off, the orange monkey hot on his heels as they faded into the horizon.</p>
<p>Dawn and I stared at their retreating forms. "He really goes at his own pace doesn't he?" she mused. Franklin and I nodded in agreement as Lizbeth scoffed. Turning back to the lab, I stepped through the door and found myself in a room filled to the brim with electronic equipment. Computers lined the walls, text scrolling up in flashing letters, a large incubator was set in the corner with three eggs nestled in it. Rowan stood over the eggs, watching them closely. "Come in, come in." he said, waving us closer without even bothering to look up from his work.</p>
<p>Franklin and I walked over to him, and I picked the turtle up so he could see the eggs too. Rowan glanced at us, then returned his attention to the eggs. "The next batch of starter pokemon" he explained. "Need to keep them on rotation in case someone needs them." He turned and walked over to a nearby desk, grabbing some items off of it and walking back. "Here then. This is your trainer card, do not loose it." he said, handing me a small plastic card that had my name and starter pokemon emblazoned on it. "You'll need to get your picture taken at the nearest PokeCenter. Now, if you would be so kind, I have a proposition for you."</p>
<p>I watched as he held out his other hand, in which sat a pokedex. The device was a rectangular red case with a camera and a flip screen. I looked at the device before shaking my head. "I'm sorry Professor. I can't take a pokedex" I said, declining the offer before he could even explain.</p>
<p>Rowan studied my face for a short time before putting the device away. "Dawn!" he barked. "Please go check on the pokemon outside. I wish to talk with Nick alone." The black haired girl nodded and stepped out a side door, Lizbeth following her outside. Alone now, Rowan walked back to his desk and grabbed a rolling chair, sitting in it and turning to face me. "Is this because of the Nuzlocke?" he asked.</p>
<p>With the amount of times I've been shocked by revelations recently, you'd think I would just not react anymore. Instead, I took a step back, unconsciously grabbing my right hand. "Why do you say that?" I asked. <em>Yeah, way to go dumbass. Go ahead and just confirm it </em><em><span>I scolded myself.</span></em></p>
<p>Rowan leaned forward, a cross expression on his face as he laced his hands together. "Listen to me carefully Nick." he said, his voice low and authoritative. "I cannot stop you from attempting this challenge, not now. But I can tell you this. Be careful. The pokemon you capture are going to be putting their lives on the line. And the worst part is, they don't have a say in it. They're lives are at risk simply because you captured them." he fell back into his seat, stern expression remaining. "Are you prepared to take that responsibility? If a pokemon dies because of your game, are you prepared to accept the consequences?"</p>
<p>I nodded, recovering from my earlier surprise. "Yes. I wouldn't have accepted this challenge if I didn't think I could win." I looked down at Franklin. "I don't want any of my pokemon to die. I'll do anything in my power to keep them safe."</p>
<p>Rowan's brow furrowed even more. "A childs view." he retorted. "Sooner or later Nick, you are going to make a mistake. And when that happens, you're not going to be able to protect them. This is not as simple as you think it is, boy." He stood up, grabbing a disk off of his desk. "Here." he said flatly, handing it to me. "I cannot stop this madness, but I can at least help your pokemon survive. This is a Technical Machine, a TM. It will teach the move Return to your pokemon. I assume you already know what Return does?"</p>
<p>I nodded, slipping the TM into the CD case I bought just for this kind of thing, thanking him. As I started to leave, I paused at the door. "Prof. Rowan?" I asked. He grunted from his desk. "When did you know I was taking the challenge?"</p>
<p>"When I first saw you on Route 201." he replied without looking up from his work. I stood there for a moment before leaving. <em>What a strange guy</em> I thought.</p>
<p>Back in town, I found my way towards Route 202. Making my way to the next route, I heard a voice call my name. Looking around, I saw an unfamiliar woman waving at me from down the street. <em>Who the hell is this?</em> I thought.</p>
<p>The woman trotted up to me. She was wearing a yellow sundress and had curly honey colored hair. "You're Nick, right?" she asked. I nodded. "I'm Barry's mom. He left home in such a hurry this morning, he forgot his stuff. Would you please give it to him? I’m sure he’s already halfway to Jublife and I know you have a better chance of running into him than I do" she asked, holding up a parcel.</p>
<p>"Sure" I muttered, grabbing the box and stuffing it in my bag. She thanked me and we parted ways. <em>Hope that’s the only time I get sent on some sort of fetch quest,</em><span> I thought.</span><em> Don’t relish the thought of being everyones delivery boy</em><span>.</span> A short jog later, I was at Route 202. It was a winding path through the forest, short cliffs preventing me from taking the direct route straight across. I was about to step into the grass when I heard someone calling my name for the third time today. I groaned and turned around to see who it was.</p>
<p>"Wait Nick!" Dawn called, jogging up to me. "I forgot to give you these at the lab." she explained, holding out 5 pokeballs. This time, I was grateful for being stopped, taking them, putting them in my bag and thanked her. "No problem." she said. "Hey, want me to teach you how to catch pokemon?"</p>
<p>I shook my head. "Already learned it on the ranch" I explained. <em>Man, this ranch excuse is working out perfectly. Why didn't I think of this with Barry?</em> She nodded and started making her way up the path towards Jublife. "Okay then, I’ll see you later!" she called, releasing Lizbeth and jogging away.</p>
<p>I turned and started to follow her. <strong>"Not so fast buddy."</strong> <em>oh man, not this guy again.</em><strong> "Yes, this guy again. Look, now that you have pokeballs, rule 1 is in place. Which means, those pokemon you saw on 201 and the lake earlier? They don't count as the first one. Have at it."</strong> I stood there thinking about what to do. I glanced down at Franklin, who was looking at me.</p>
<p>"Why'd you stop Nick?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Nothing really." I said, grabbing a spare pokeball out of my bag. "How about we go make some new friends, huh?" I said. We tore off into the route, eyes darting for the first pokemon we could find.</p>
<p>Later that night, I decided it was to dark to continue to Jublife. <em>Besides, I need to train these new recruits so they're on par with Franklin</em> I thought, glancing down at the three new pokeballs on my belt. I went to the PokeCenter, getting my photo taken while I was at it, and grabbed a room. It was a basic room, not unlike the hotels I would stay at on trips. A single, simple bed in the center of one wall, with a night stand on either side and a desk across the room. There was a reading nook under the window, which showed the town and forest outside. Once I got everything settled, I took the pokeballs off of my belt. Tossing them lightly, four beams of light emerged. One beam turned into Franklin who I immediately picked up and set on the bed next to me. We watched the other three pokemon look around their new surroundings.</p>
<p>First was a female Bidoof. I had caught her on Route 201 when I found her sleeping under a nearby tree. She was a small hamster-like pokemon with brown fur and three little nubs for a tail. The fur on her belly and around her eyes was a lighter, cream color, and she had poofy bunches jutting out from her cheeks. Her front teeth were large and stuck out, but were sharp enough to bite through wood. Once she was awake, she fought with more vigor than I had expected, making her an interesting addition to the team.</p>
<p>A small chirp brought my attention to the Starly I had caught at Lake Verity. This one was also female, her feathers a mix of white, gray and black. Her talons were orange, as was her beak save for the black mark on the very tip. One of the feathers on her head curled upwards almost like a crest. She was flapping her wings and ruffling her feathers before she started to herd the other two, preventing them from wandering off. This might have been a mistake with the latest addition.</p>
<p>A male Shinx growled deeply at the bird as she tried to get him to move over. His fur was divided in half, with his back slate black and his front a mild blue, though with a black patch around his neck. He had two golden bands around his front paws, which matched the color of his eyes and the inside of his ears. Like the Bidoof, he had tufts of fur sticking out from his cheeks as well as the top of his head, though his were less fluffy and more spikey. The end of his tail had a strange, four-pointed golden star. Wisely, the Starly decided it wasn't worth the fight after he growled at her and focused her attention on me. Looking closely, I saw that they all had the Mark on them, on the Bidoofs belly, the Starlys left wing, and the Shinxs chest.</p>
<p>"Uh, hello everyone" I announced. The three of them looked at me, a fascinating mixture of interest, boredom and apathy. "Look, I'm gonna give you the short version. I'm doing a challenge. It makes me able to understand your speech. Also, I'm gonna nickname you so if you have a problem with that, speak up now."</p>
<p>"No problems here." the Starly chirped, her voice light and kind. The Bidoof nodded and the Shinx merely rolled his golden eyes.</p>
<p>"Okay then." I said. "You are now, Brittany, Sora, and Mufasa." I said, pointing at the Bidoof, Starly and Shinx respectively. They seemed to like the names, or at least, Sora did, from the way she beamed at me. Brittany seemed to be falling asleep and Mufasa didn't say anything, just lying on the floor and staring at me with a bored expression.</p>
<p>"Alright, this is Franklin." I said, gesturing to the turtle next to me. "He’s my starter, though I haven’t had him for much longer than any of you. And finally, a word of warning." I got serious as I leaned in. "This challenge is dangerous. I'm gonna do everything I can to keep you safe but please believe me when I say that you can die."</p>
<p>Sora seemed slightly concerned with this knowledge but didn't say anything immediatly. Brittany really <em>was</em> asleep now, and I didn't want to wake her seeing as it was close to bedtime anyway. Surprisingly, this information seemed to gain Mufasa's attention. He got to his feet and walked up to me. He sniffed at my legs for a bit, before nodding and trotting towards the nook under the window. "You'll do." he said simply, his voice surprisingly deep and rumbling for the little cat. Upon reaching the nook, he jumped up and curled up to sleep, blue whiskers twitching occasionally.</p>
<p>"Ooookay. So, I'll leave it to Franklin to sort out the details and any questions since it’s late and I'm going to bed. Goodnight!" I said, reaching over and turning off the light. I dreamt of victory and new friends ahead. If I only knew.</p>
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